Isabella (Byron) Musgrave
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Isabella (Byron) Musgrave (1721 - 1795)

Isabella Musgrave formerly Byron aka Howard
Born in Lancashire, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Daughter of and
Sister of , and
Wife of — married 8 Jun 1743 in Grosvenor Square, St. George Hanover Square, London, Englandmap
Wife of — married 10 Dec 1759 in St Margaret, Westminster, Middlesex, Englandmap
Descendants descendants
Mother of , , , and
Died at age 73 in Bath, Somerset, Englandmap
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Profile last modified | Created 26 Dec 2014
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Contents

Biography

Birth and Early Years

Isabella Byron was born on 10 November 1721 [1][2][3][4] in Clayton, Lancashire, England.[1]Her parents were William Byron, 4th Baron Byron and Hon. Frances Berkeley[1]. Isabella was the eldest of six children and the only daughter[5].

  1. Isabella Byron (1721–1795)[1][5]
  2. William Byron, 5th Baron Byron (1722–1798)[6]
  3. Vice-Admiral John Byron (1723–1786)[7]
  4. Reverend Richard Byron (1724–1811)[8]
  5. Charles Byron (1726–1731)[5]
  6. George Byron (1730–1789)[5]

In 1727, the family moved to their family house in London, England at 15 Great Marlborough Street [9] and they attended St. James Church on Piccadilly. [9]The family then spent summers in their country home and winters in their city home. [9]

Isabella’s education was different from her brothers as she was prepared to marry and marry well.[9] She was taught to demonstrate “the requisite accomplishments and social graces”. [9] She studied French and Latin, sketched, and sang with proficiency, enjoyed poetry and writing, did embroidery, and mathematics, in preparation for running her own household. She had a passion for botany and cooking and prepared generations-old recipes and remedies, passed from her mother.[9] She enjoyed company and was presented to the ballrooms of London and Bath as the Honourable Miss Byron[9] before she was 18.

First Marriage

Isabella, aged 22, married her first husband, Sir Henry Howard 4th Earl of Carlisle, 4th Viscount Howard of Morpeth, 4th Baron Dacre of Gillesland, Knight of the Garter, on 8 June 1743[4] as his second wife[10] making her Mistress of Castle Howard and the Countess of Carlisle.[11] They lived in Carlisle House in London, England, Castle Howard located just north of York, England, and Nawarth Castle, England, near Carlisle.[9] The Jacobite rebellion in the north saw them move back to his house in Soho Square before 1746.[9]

They had five children [12]

  1. Lady Anne Howard, 1744-1799
  2. Lady Frances Howard, 1745-1808
  3. Lady Elizabeth Howard, 1747-1813
  4. Right Honorable Frederick Howard Lord Viscount Morpeth, 1748-1825
  5. Lady Juliana Howard, 1749-1849

After all the children were born, they sold Carlisle House in London, England and bought a large family house called ‘Dover House’, located in Dover Street, London, England.[9] Isabella embraced her role as hostess and “became known for her musical soirees”.[9] She established a “weekly ‘Musical Tuesday’ before hosting great concerts on Fridays, with performances from the leading opera singers and musicians of the day”.[13]

Isabella's first husband died 1758[14] and, upon deciding to take a second husband, she became styled Dowager Countess of Carlisle, a title she retained for the remainder of her life. This allowed her son and daughter-in-law to become Count and Countess of Carlisle.[11]

Second Marriage

Isabella, aged 38, married her second husband, Sir William Musgrave, 6th Baronet of Hayton Castle, County Cumberland, England on December 10, 1759 at Whitehall, St. Margaret’s, Westminster, England.[15] They bought a house in Cleveland Court, near Green Park, England, and leased Randall’s Park, a rustic retreat in Surrey, England.[9] They did not have any children and formally separated in 1769.[9]

Post 2nd Marriage

Isabella moved to the Continent where she enjoyed life's pleasures, and didn't return for about 15 years.[9] She lived most of the time in France and spent her time sketching, writing, trimming gowns, and dining.[9] “Isabella’s reported adventures with ‘one baron after another’ remained notorious”. [9] Regarding people's opinions about her attachments, Isabella had previously stated 'as I am authoriz'd to form any I please, and I am determined to pursue that which pleases me'.[9] She eventually developed a long-term association with Jean-Francois L’Archer, who styled himself Monsieur de Weinheim,[9] and later styled himself as Baron de Weinheim.[9] The deceit of his title was exposed in Italy and they subsequently moved back to France.[16] In 1781, Isabella was forced to return to England, alone, and in return, her son, Frederick, 5th Earl of Carlisle, paid her debts.[17] In 1787, Isabella settled in Bath, England, with the assistance of her son, Frederick.[18] She spent her time writing, doing needlework projects, sewing clothes for the poor, enjoying her family and gardening.[9]

Career and Special Interests

Isabella is remembered for her book of Maxims published November 1789, and titled Thoughts in the Form of Maxims, Addressed to Young Ladies, on their First Establishment in the World, originally intended for friends and family,[9] The book contains “advice for all stages of life: early education, adjusting to marriage, negotiating fashionable society and coping with the approach of death”[9] It provided “a comfortable taste of genteel femininity in turbulent times”.[9] The Analytical Review concluded that her maxims ‘shew the discernment of the writer, and still more clearly evince her goodness of heart’. [9][19] Her book quickly went into 2nd edition and was republished in Dublin, excerpted in American anthologies and translated into German.[9]

“Her sketches and water colours of flowers, invested landscapes and copies of the old masters, signed ‘Isabella Carlisle’ or simply ‘Isa’ … were admired by amateurs and connoisseurs”.[9]

Death & Burial

Lady Isabella died, aged 73, on January 22, 1795 in Bath, England[4]. She was buried 31 January 1795 in All Saints Churchyard in Weston, Bath, Somerset, England[20] The inscription on the gravestone added a year to her age mistakenly indicating her birth year as 1720. [9]

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Birth: https://www.thepeerage.com/p1097.htm#i10968. Indexing Project (Batch) Number 102195-5 (accessed 1 May 2022)
  2. ↑ England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991, GS Film number 1469102, Reference ID 403, (accessed 19 April 2022)
  3. ↑ England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991, Ancestry.com (accessed 19 April 2022), FHL Film Number: 1469102, Reference ID: 403
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/byron1643.htm, The Complete Guide to the British Peerage & Baronetage, (accessed 19 April 2022)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Wikipedia contributors, "William Byron, 4th Baron Byron," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Byron,_4th_Baron_Byron&oldid=1083216363 (accessed 21 April 2022).
  6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176456294/william-byron : accessed 21 April 2022), memorial page for William Byron (5 Nov 1722–19 May 1798), Find a Grave Memorial ID 176456294, citing St. Mary Magdalene Churchyard, Hucknall, Ashfield District, Nottinghamshire, England ; Maintained by Todd Whitesides (contributor 47553735) .
  7. ↑ WikiTree contributors, "John Byron RN (1723-1786)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Byron-129 : accessed 21 April 2022).
  8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172291270/richard-byron : accessed 21 April 2022), memorial page for Hon & Rev Richard Byron MA (28 Oct 1724–5 Nov 1811), Find a Grave Memorial ID 172291270, citing St. Andrew Churchyard, Haughton Le Skerne, Darlington Unitary Authority, County Durham, England ; Maintained by DIMITRIOS CORCODILOS (contributor 48461240) .
  9. ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 9.19 9.20 9.21 9.22 9.23 9.24 9.25 9.26 Emily Brand, The Fall of the Byron Dynasty – Scandal and Seduction in Georgian England. (John Murray (Publishers), 2020).
  10. ↑ 1st Marriage: Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-22 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com (accessed 19 April 2022) London, England: Oxford University Press; Volume: Vol 10; Page: 14
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 1st Marriage: Wikipedia contributors, "Isabella Howard, Countess of Carlisle," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Isabella_Howard,_Countess_of_Carlisle&oldid=1082949412 (accessed April 20, 2022)
  12. ↑ Children: http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/carlisle1661.htm#CARLISLE_1661_4, The Complete Guide to the British Peerage & Baronetage, (accessed 19 April 2022):
  13. ↑ Thomas Harris to James Harris, 22 February 1755, quoted in D. Burrows et al. (eds), “Music and Theatre in Handel’s World: The Family Papers of James Harris”, 1732-1780 (Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 302
  14. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/79127169/henry-howard : accessed 25 April 2022), memorial page for Sir Henry Howard (14 Aug 1694–3 Sep 1758), Find a Grave Memorial ID 79127169, citing Castle Howard Mausoleum, Castle Howard, Ryedale District, North Yorkshire, England ; Maintained by A. I. Zimmer-Keeler (contributor 46947938).
  15. ↑ 2nd Husband: https://www.thepeerage.com/p1149.htm#i11484. A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe, reference ID 11484, (accessed 1 May 2022)
  16. ↑ John Warner to George Selwyn, 10 January 1779, quoted in Jesse, Selwyn, vol. 3, p.392 and reprinted in Emily Brand, The Fall of the Byron Dynasty – Scandal and Seduction in Georgian England. (John Murray (Publishers), 2020), page 167
  17. ↑ Frederick, 5th Earl of Carlisle to Isabella, Lady Carlisle, [1781], ibid., J14/13/3 and reprinted in Emily Brand, The Fall of the Byron Dynasty – Scandal and Seduction in Georgian England. (John Murray (Publishers), 2020), page 214
  18. ↑ Isabella, Lady Carlisle to F. Gregg, 17 December 4 1780, CH, J14/13/1 and reprinted in Emily Brand, The Fall of the Byron Dynasty – Scandal and Seduction in Georgian England. (John Murray (Publishers), 2020), page 214
  19. ↑ Analytical Review, vol. 6 (January-April 1790), p. 103, and reprinted in Emily Brand, The Fall of the Byron Dynasty – Scandal and Seduction in Georgian England. (John Murray (Publishers), 2020), page 251.
  20. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/222548758/isabella-howard : accessed 21 April 2022), memorial page for Isabella Howard (1720–31 Jan 1795), Find a Grave Memorial ID 222548758, Plot 469, citing All Saints Churchyard, Weston, Bath and North East Somerset Unitary Authority, Somerset, England ; Maintained by woowoo (contributor 49949980) .

See also:

  • Philip Carter, ‘Howard, Charles, third earl of Carlisle (1669–1738)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2007 accessed 8 Sept 2017. This is a subscription site but access is free to readers of British libraries whose library subscribes.
  • Christopher Ridgeway, 'Isabella, Fourth Countess of Carlisle: No Life by Halves', in Maids and Mistresses: Celebrating 300 Years of Women and the Yorkshire Country House, ed. Ruth Larson (2004).

Acknowledgements

“This profile has been improved by a member of the England Project's Orphan Trail.”





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Isabella Howard, Countess of Carlisle
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